Show & Tell: How Event Marketing Brought This Startup’s Message & Product To The People

Eyal Levy created a new generation of beanbag chairs. Unlike the 1970s-style bag of beans that graced many paneled basements of the era, Levy’s Yogibo line combines the support of a pillow with the form-fitting properties of a beanbag. His products are visually appealing, but an online storefront wasn’t enough to generate the sales he wanted. “Our products are known to be exceptionally comfortable,” says Levy. “Since this is a message that is hard to deliver through pictures and copy, as most of the customers realize that only after trying the products, we had to get as many people as we can to try our products.”

Yogibo opened its first store in the Natick Mall on the outskirts of Boston in 2010. While the physical store was a success and gave potential customers the chance to try out the Yogibo line, Levy wanted to expand his base beyond mall shoppers. However, physical stores are expensive and only draw business from the immediate area.

“We discovered that we could reach a much larger audience by bringing the Yogibo experience to people at events, shows and fairs,” says Levy. “We were able to connect to people who don’t go to the mall often and who otherwise would have never tried our products. We also invited industry influencers and thought leaders to stop by the booth and try out the products. For some of them, this is their first exposure to our products, so being able to give them a full demonstration and maximize the experience really helps to foster their opinions.” Yogibo now exhibits its products at more than 300 events each year. The company has a dedicated team of employees that demonstrate Yogibo products at events across the Northeast, going as far south as Washington D.C. On weekends, the travel team may be supplemented with store employees.

Family-orientated events have proven to be the most successful, says Levy. His products are very popular at Comicons and video-gaming shows. “The other parameter that we’re always looking at is, of course, number of expected visitors to make sure that we demonstrate the products to as many people as possible.” Yogibo regularly attends the video gaming event PAX East, hosted in the Boston Convention Center, the Newton Town Days, Cambridge River Festival and The Big E, which draws a crowd of 1.2 million each year. According to Levy, 20 percent of his sales come from his event marketing strategy.